‘Detroit’ Trailer: Kathryn Bigelow’s Film on the ’67 Race Riots Shows a City at War

The trailer for Kathryn Bigelow‘s anticipated new movie Detroit has dropped, revealing a heart-pounding and gripping depiction of the 1967 Detroit race riots that rocked the nation.

The Oscar-winning director of The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty has tackled hard issues around international war and torture, but Detroit hones in on one of the most devastating riots in U.S. history, and the polarizing issues of systemic racism and police brutality that still impact the country today. Star Wars:The Force Awakens star John Boyega takes center stage as an African-American security guard in the Detroit trailer, which takes an unflinching look at the escalating tension and violence between the city and the police.

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The trailer opens on Boyega’s character, who diligently works through the night as riots rage through the streets of Detroit. His faith in his work is shaken when the police stage a raid on the Algiers motel, where a group of partying African-American musicians set off tensions after a toy gun goes off. The events escalate further, with the cops lining up the partygoers and Will Poulter‘s character threatening further violence if the gun isn’t found. Avengers star Anthony Mackie is shown briefly, as is Game of Thrones actress Hannah Murray.

Not many more details are known about the film, but here’s a brief official synopsis:

From the Academy Award winning director of THE HURT LOCKER and ZERO DARK THIRTY, DETROIT tells the gripping story of one of the darkest moments during the civil unrest that rocked Detroit in the summer of ‘67.

The real riots that inspired the film began on July 23, 1967 after the police raided an unlicensed bar in Detroit’s Near West Side. But escalating violence forced the governor to call in the National Guard, and eventually compelled president Lyndon Johnson to also send in the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. By the time the five-day riots were over, 43 people were dead, nearly 1,200 were injured, and more than 2,000 buildings had been destroyed.

The film also stars Jack Reynor, Ben O’Toole, Jacob Latimore, Kaitlyn Dever, Jason Mitchell, Algee Smith, Joseph David-Jones, and John Krasinski. Along with the new trailer, a stunning poster for the movie was also released. Here it is:

Detroit hits theaters on August 4, 2017.

Correction: This post previously stated that John Boyega plays a police officer. He is playing a security guard.